Traction-wheel



T... NH WW N m A R T (No Mqdel.)

No. 431,904. Patented'July 8, 1890.

UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LEWVIS, OF OROIVLEY, LOUISIANA.

TRACTION-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,904, dated July 8,1890.

Application filed May 15 1890. Serial No. 351,927- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES LEWIS, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Crowley, in the parish of Acadia and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traction-lVl1eels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters ofreference marked thereon which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of tractionwheels which are provided with blades or teeth adaptedto move inwardly and outwardly through the periphery of the wheel tocontact with the earth and prevent the wheel slipping; and it consistsin providing a traction-wheel with a movable eccentric, to which theinner ends of the blades are attached, said eccentric being connected toa movable casing, so that the relative position of the eccentric withrespect to the axle may be varied and the blades projected or retracted,said movable block being spring-actuated to move automatically,according to the condition of the soil; and the invention furtherconsists in the construction and combination of the parts, as will behereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of atraction-wheel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional view. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the eccentric and plate forconnecting the same with the wheel or axle. Fig. 4 is a side view of themovable sliding block.

A refers to the traction-wheel, which is mounted upon an axle B. Thistractionwheel may be of ordinary construction, and is provided with ahub 13, which is loosely mounted on the axle or spindle B or keyedthereto, so that the axle or spindle will rotate therewith. To thespokes of the wheel or to the hub B thereof, as may be desired, isrigidly secured a disk A, which is provided with openings at a, intowhich pass pins 0 0, carried by a circular plate 0, which is placed overthe hub, said plate being provided with a central opening of a greaterdiameter than the hub and with a projecting flange d, which lies snuglywithin the circular recess D of the movable block E. This ring 0 isprovided on one side with a series of recesses e e, within which lie theinner ends of the blades F, the opposite ends of which pass throughtransverse slots in the periphery or rim of the traction-wheel. The endsof the blades F can be secured within the recesses by pins orbolts, asshown, or their ends may be notched so as to lie over a raised edgeformed on said ring 0.

The block E, in addition to the circular recess D hereinbefore referredto, has an ellip tical openin D of sufficient size to pass over the endof the hub, and the opposite side of this plate E is either recessed orprovided with parallel projecting strips, within which lie a fixed barG, which is provided at its upper end with a staple or eye, throughwhich passes a rod carried by the plate E, said rod being encircled by aspring, which bears upon the staple and upon the movable plate E, so asto normally hold the blades projected beyond the periphery of thetraction-wheel. By this construction I provide a tractionwheel the bladeof which will be normally projected and which will be moved inwardlywhen the ground is hard or when the blades strike against anobstruction.

By providing the bar G with an opening and the plate E with one thatwill register therewith a pin or other device may be in serted, so as tohold the ends of the blades within or flush with the periphery of the.

lower edge of the wheel. In such cases where the traction-wheel is madeup of cast metal, the rim being connected to the hub byaweb, the disk Acan be dispensed with and the perforations a formed directly in the webof the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In combination with atraction-wheel, a rotating ring or disk having blades connected thereto,a spring movable or sliding plate yielding with respect to the hub ofthe traction-wheel and having a recess within which a portion of thering or disk lies to carry the same therewith, said plate beingadjustable so as to carry the ring or disk to one side of the center ofthe traction-wheel and form an eccentric, and means for connecting thesame to the traction-Wheel so that it will be movable thereon,substantially as set forth.

2. In a traction-Wheel, a fixed plate secured adjacent to the hubthereof, a ring or disk movable upon the hub and provided Withprojecting pins for engaging with openings in the plate A, bladesconnected to said ring, the ends of which pass through openings in theperiphery of the Wheel, and a slidingframe engaging with the movablering, said sliding frame being spring-actuated, substantially as setforth.

3. In atraction-wheel, a disk or plate A,

having openings a, a ring having a projecting portion cl and recesses 6,Within Which the ends of the blades lie, a sliding plate E, having acircular recess D and an elliptical opening D, and a spring mounted onarod carried by the plate E to normally project the blades beyond theperiphery of the traction- Wheel, said rod engaging with a fixed bar,

substantially as set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES LEWIS. Witnesses:

H. BoDEMiiLLER, O. B. LEWIS.

